Fundraising Event for Vulnerable Children and Families in Minnesota
Course overview:
There are many unsettling global events happening at this time. Many of these directly affect children and families. Some of these events are directly and indirectly affecting children, families and clinicians in Australia. While all are equally important, we have an immediate opportunity to offer practical support through this fundraising event, to support children and families in Minnesota, affected by recent events. All proceeds from this training event will be donated there.
In this 2-hour training you can learn how to best communicate with children in unsettling times, recognise when they need support and how best to provide this. You can also explore how child-focused professionals can recognize the emotional impact that absorbing children’s fears, stories, and reactions to overwhelming news cycles can have on them. The training also introduces practical, trauma-informed strategies to regulate stress, maintain professional boundaries, and foster emotional resilience.
Importantly, we will move beyond individual self-care to emphasize collective care—creating supportive team cultures where reflection, shared responsibility, and community practices help prevent isolation and compassion fatigue. By strengthening our own wellbeing, we enhance our capacity to provide grounded, safe, and developmentally responsive support to children navigating an increasingly complex and uncertain world.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Understand why it is important to communicate with children in unsettling times;
- Review age-appropriate ways to communicate with children;
- Learn a 5-step framework for child communication;
- Describe how stress impacts the brain and body;
- Discuss the ways children and young people show they are in need of support;
- Unpack practical ways those around children and young people can support them;
- Identify risk factors and the warning signs of burn out in self and colleagues;
- Appreciate why and how working with trauma can cause burnout;
- Consider ways to prevent and address vicarious trauma and burnout.
Who should attend?
Play Therapists and other mental health professionals, including psychologists, social workers, counsellors, pastoral care workers and others working with children, young people and families. Allied health professionals, teachers and others working with or supporting children and young people.
Workshop Facilitator - Robyn Turton |
 | | Robyn Turton has been a social worker for over 25 years, working with children and families in Australia and the United Kingdom. Her experience spans out of home care, adoption, refugee services, education and children’s mental health. An associate member of the Australian Play Therapy Association, Robyn is passionate about using creative and play-based approaches to support children who have experienced trauma, loss and other significant challenges. Alongside her clinical work in children’s mental health, Robyn’s recent work has focussed on embedding trauma-informed practice within a primary school community. |
Workshop Facilitator - Taryn McBurney |
| 
| | Taryn McBurney is an experienced Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist with over 10 years of experience supporting children and families across multicultural, refugee, and disability sectors. She brings a deep understanding of trauma-informed practice, child development, and culturally responsive care to her work with professionals supporting children. Taryn is deeply passionate about trauma recovery and healing. Throughout her career, she has walked alongside children navigating complex life experiences, using play-based and evidence-informed approaches to foster safety, resilience, and emotional growth. Her work is grounded in compassion, cultural humility, and a strong belief in every child’s capacity to heal when provided with the right support. Equally, Taryn is a strong advocate for worker wellbeing. She believes that those who support children must also be supported themselves, and she is passionate about promoting sustainable practice through self-care, reflective supervision, and compassion for both clients and practitioners. |
Workshop Facilitator - Jacki Short |
 | | Jacki Short is the Founder and Director of Sydney Centre for Creative Change. She is a registered counselling psychologist and play therapist supervisor with over 25 years’ experience in counselling, supervision, group work and training. Jacki is committed to supporting children and young people to feel safe and to have opportunities to thrive. Through her creative therapies training and supervision work, she teaches and supports clinicians in how best to be sensitive to the needs, developmental capacities and the culture of children. Passionate about supporting others to find creative ways to express, explore and resolve difficulties, Jacki loves sharing opportunities for connection and creativity. |
Training Date and Time:
Wednesday 1st April 2026
7:00 - 9:00pm AEDT (NSW, VIC, TAS)
6:30 - 8:30pm ACDT (SA)
6:00 - 8:00pm AEST (QLD)
5:30 - 7:30pm ACST (NT)
4:00 - 6:00pm AWST (WA)
Attending internationally?
You can use this time converter to check the exact day and time of this training for your location.
Training Details
Please note, this is a LIVE and INTERACTIVE training event. It will be recorded and made available for three months for viewing and purchase until 1 June 2026. Break out room discussions are not recorded.
Included in the training price:
- 2 CPD hours
- Link to create Certificate of Attendance
- GST
Workshop Cost
Special Price $150
Work Paying?
Lucky you!
Send us an email requesting an invoice via the contact page with your name, the dates and name of course/courses you'd like to do and the name of your organisation who you want us to invoice and we will send you an organisational invoice and a registration form.
